The present invention relates generally to electrical switching and control, and, more particularly, to apparatus enabling an electrically switched load, including a load operated using a dimmer function, to be relocated to another location where power is available.
The rooms in many homes are illuminated with ceiling lights, which are efficient in terms of coverage, but often cast harsh shadows or make the room seem small. Often times rooms can be made more appealing with floor or table lamps used to create particular functional areas or moods. Accordingly, some homes are built in such a way than when one enters a room and turns on the lightswitch, a wall outlet is powered at the same time or instead of a ceiling fixture, enabling the lightswitch to control a floor or table lamp for a higher degree of ambiance.
Unless the structure is already wired to switch a wall outlet upon entry into a particular room, the options for utilizing floor or table lamps instead of overhead fixtures are limited or difficult to implement. Often the resident simply turns on the overhead lamp, and uses the light produced to switch on one or more floor or table lamps, then, using the light which they provide, go back and turn off the overhead lamp. Although this is inconvenient, it produces the desired effect. Alternatively, the homeowner can have particular rooms rewired for switched wall outlets, but this necessitates a great degree of inconvenience and expense. Thus, an economical, easily implemented mechanism for relocating a switched electrical connection, such as a ceiling outlet, to a wall outlet, would therefore be welcomed by numerous homeowners, home builders, architects, interior decorators, and others.
The present invention provides a wireless transmitter associated with a switched electrical connection, and a receiver adapted for connection in an electrical path between the source of power and a load, enabling the load to be controlled by the switch originally used to control the switched electrical connection. The communication between the transmitter and receiver may be realized only when power is applied or removed from the switched connection, or, alternatively, this communication may be carried out on a per-cycle basis, enabling a phase-delay type of control over the relocated load, including dimming of the relocated load without requiring modification to a previously installed dimmer switch.
Electrical switched-load relocation apparatus according to the invention includes a transmitter module in electrical communication with the switched electrical connection, the transmitter module being operative to radiate a signal when electrical power is applied to tile connection, and a receive module disposed in an electrical path between a source of electrical power and an electrical load, the receiver being operative to route power from the source to the load in response to the signal radiated by the transmitter. The signal radiated by the transmitter may be of acoustic or electro-magnetic origin.
More particularly, the transmitter module includes means for making electrical contact to a switched electrical connection, and means for transmitting a wireless signal in response to the application of electrical power to the switched electrical connection, and the receiver module includes means for making electrical contact to a source of electrical power, means for making contact to an electrical load, and means for routing electrical power from the source to the load in response to the signal transmitted by the transmitter module. The means for making electrical contact to the switched electrical connection may take on many forms, including a set of exposed wires, a plug to be inserted into a switched electrical outlet, or a threaded base to be inserted into a switched electrical socket. The means for making electrical contact to a source of electrical power may adopt many forms as well, including a see of exposed wires, a plug to be inserted into an electrical outlet, a threaded base to be inserted into an electrical socket. The means for making contact to an electrical load may includes an electrical outlet into which a load having a plug may be inserted or an electrical socket into which a load having a threaded base may be installed.